BJP instigating communal riots, alleges Lalu

Patna: Describing the recent incidents of communal riots in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere as "dangerous for the country and its secular fabric", RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Wednesday charged the BJP with instigating riots to ride to power in the general elections next year.

"The days ahead in the run up to the general elections appear to be dangerous for the country and its secular fabric as the BJP is instigating riots to polarize the voters on communal lines to ride to power at the Centre," he said.

Equating the next general elections with a mega wrestling event, Prasad said that its outcome will have grave implications for the country to the extent of "endangering its unity and integrity" depending on who wins the poll.

Referring to communal riots in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district recently, the RJD supremo pointedly blamed the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's aide Amit Shah for abetting riots. Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a series of communal riots ever since Shah took over as the BJP's in-charge of the state.

Prasad also raked up the 2002 Gujarat riots to attack Modi and said that he raised the issue in Parliament demanding strong action against the Gujarat Chief Minister for his failure to deal with the incident.